The fruit that you see on the cover of this article comes called many different things depending on part of Italy where you are located: watermelon, calabash, melon, sandia, patacca and many others. In standard Italian, however, There is no “correct” way to refer to it: the various terms, in particular watermelon and cocomero, are accepted and used according to regional preferences. What is certain is that, being sweet and thirst-quenching, it is perfect to consume to cool off during hot summer days. But why are there so many names to call it? Let’s find out their origin and meaning.
The origin of the terms anguria, cocomero and melone d’acqua
The term “watermelon” It is found in the Byzantine aggourion and seems to come close to late Greek ‘ἀγγούριον‘. It is not certain that the Greeks used the word in the sense of watermelon, but it is certain that they used it to refer to the cucumberThe term entered the lexicon of the Italian language in the Byzantine era through the‘Exarchate of Ravennaan administrative district of the Eastern Roman Empire and the use of the name aggourion to indicate the watermelon it is probably due to Aetiusa 6th century physician.
In central Italy, instead of watermelon, the fruit is commonly called “cocomero” from the scientific Latin Cucumis Citrullus. Finally, in southern Italy, the most widespread expression is ““water melon”. In Naples, in particular but not only, the word “melone” is used in a generic way starting from the Latin Apple treewhich indicates a variety of fruit plants. “Water melon” or “water melon” thus specifies the type of melon that is the watermelonunlike the “cantaloupe melon” or “mellone ‘e pane”, which is the smaller, striped melon with yellow/orange flesh. “Water melon”, by the way, is similar to the terms used in English-speaking countries (watermelon) and German speakers (watermelon).
However, there are many other names used to call watermelon. Let’s see some of them.
Watermelon in Italian dialects
In other Italian regions, name variations to indicate watermelon have their own history, with roots in Greek, Latin and/or with local and regional influences.
- In some areas of the Marche is called “cucumbra”It probably derives from a dialectal variation of Latin cucumismaintaining the association with cucumber.
- In certain areas of theAbruzzo It is known as “lemon” and may have roots in Latin citrullusevolved locally.
- In some contexts of Liguria And Puglia he’s called “scrap”. This term has a more colloquial and regional connotation. The word “patacca” in Italian can also mean “fake” or “imitation”, but in these specific dialects it has evolved to indicate watermelon, probably because of the round shape and size of the fruit.
- From the Sardinia here comes a variety that is a true heritage of humanity: thewatermelon of Gonnos or Gonnosfanadigafrom the name of the small municipality near Carbonia: a heritage of biodiversity protected by the Ministry of Agriculture, cited as a Sardinian product already in some documents dating back to the 18th century.
- In Tuscany the watermelon is also called “popcorn”.
- Finally, the case of the funny one is “zipangolo” (“zuparacu”“pizzitangulu”) in some areas of the Calabriawhich has no certain etymology. The term could come from Cipango or Zipangu, the ancient name of the Japanarea of notable diffusion of the fruit. “Zuparacu”, which is used mainly in the province of Catanzaro, is explained by some as “the parish priest uncle”, that is, ruddy like the parish priest’s face.
There are certainly other ways to call watermelon, here we have only indicated some of the main variations.
But what is watermelon?
Whether you want to call it watermelon or cucumber, the fruit belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae and is native to tropical Africa. It is unclear when it was first cultivated, but the first recorded crop is documented in some hieroglyphics of theAncient Egypt, occurred nearly 5,000 years ago, with the fruit placed in the tombs of the pharaohs for the afterlife. In Egyptian mythology, the watermelon was derived from the seed of the god Seth.
David Livingstona well-known explorer of Africa, reported that the watermelon plant grew abundantly in the Kalahari Desert, the place of origin of the fruit, where it grows spontaneously and is called tsamma (Citrullus lanatus var citroides). This plant is recognizable by its particular leaves and by the abundant production of fruits, up to one hundred per plant, becoming a precious source of water and food for the inhabitants and animals of the area.
In the 10th century ADthere is news that the watermelon had arrived and was also cultivated in Chinatoday the world’s largest producer.
